


Finding Family

by Scree_Kat



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), BAMF Pepper Potts, Gen, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, May Parker and the terrible horrible no good very bad day, May deserves family too, The May Parker Protection Squad, Tony is Confused, Worried May Parker (Spider-Man)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22445185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scree_Kat/pseuds/Scree_Kat
Summary: May is stressed.Tony is baffled.And Pepper, as always, is here to clean up Tony's emotional messes.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Pepper Potts, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

Today, truthfully, could go suck a lemon. Two patients had thrown up on her, one had ripped their stitches being foolish, and another had berated her, grabbing her arm and trying to stop her continuing CPR on his room mate so she could freshen up his water. The rain was bucketing down, and her umbrella just died, the fabric catching in the wind and rolling gracefully away. Her comfortable new shoes, the only treat she'd allowed herself in years, would be destroyed in all the puddles.

May Parker, if pressed, wouldn't say that her life was going _well_. 

Oh, the important things were wonderful, and most days, that was enough. Peter was healthy and happy, she kept a roof over their head and food in his hyper-metabolising body, and he was doing brilliantly in a good school. After the loss of Ben, she'd worried that the boy she loved like her own son would be damaged, having only one member of the family left- let alone one he didn't even actually share DNA with. But he had flourished, building a family and small circle of friends who adored him. She could even forgive the vigilantism. 

It's just that, while Peter's life was going from strength to strength, hers very much wasn't. Aware that she was already running late, she shrugged off the urge to linger and hope the rain would pass, and the urge to just get a cab (god knew she couldn't afford one this week), May strode into the downpour, hurrying to the station and trying not to slip as the sidewalks began to flood. What was an unplanned cold shower gonna do, ruin her mood? 

She worked. She came home. She tried to cook and failed miserably before giving up and ordering something in (but dammit, she _tried_ to give Peter good, healthy meals). When possible, she spent time with Peter, though the days she didn't even see him were getting more and more common. And then she went to bed, got barely any sleep, and did it all again. 

It had been years since she'd had coffee with her own friends, and her last holiday had been with Ben and Peter. Peter had been nine. And while the regular dinners at the Tower were nice, she knew it was more about making Peter happy than any real interest in striking up a friendship with her. Who'd want to be friends with a poor, bitter old nurse anyway?

Beyond those dinners, it had been months since she'd had a day off, or even time enough to settle in and watch a movie with Peter. She'd tried to be a good mother figure, but it was hard to make ends meet on a nurse's salary in New York, and even harder to do so with a son with mutations causing him to need to constantly be eating. Every extra shift she didn't take took them one step closer to falling below the poverty line (she tried hard not to think about how close they truly were already), just like every single day brought her closer to the awkward conversation about college. 

She huffed out a sigh that turned into a cough as someone shouldered past her roughly, and fought the sudden, mad urge to kick the back of their knees in retaliation. Generally, she tried to be like Ben, or Peter. She tried to be kind and remember that most people were rude because they were hurting, and hurting them more wasn't likely to improve their mood. Some days, kindness was easier than others. 

Between her and Ben, they'd squirrelled aside a little money to help pay tuition, but that money had gone on funeral costs and increased rent. Peter was a genius, literally. Given the right opportunities, he could easily be as great as Tony, perhaps even better. She just... couldn't afford to give him those opportunities. Chalk up another parenting failure. 

She barely managed to throw herself into the train before the doors closed, made her peace with standing and dripping while some barely legal asshole decided he needed to put his jar of protein powder on its own seat (as the aunt/mother figure of Spider-Man, she knew she couldn't just throw the container aside and sit, even if the smug look he'd shot her deserved to be slapped right off his stupid head). She hadn't planned on heading home before going to the Tower, but the idea of them seeing her looking like a drowned rat was more than she could stand. She'd grab one of Ben's umbrellas, dry her hair, change her clothes, and be back on her way. It was only a few stops. As nice as it would be to sit, she'd been standing all day, and half an hour more wasn't likely to break her. 

Still, she was gratified to see an old woman hurry on at the next stop, eyeing the container before snatching it up and tossing it out the still-open carriage door. She didn't even bother hiding her laughter when its owner launched himself from the train, the doors closing before he could get back on. The old woman waved to him as the train slowly departed, before offering May the chair beside her with a grin. They made the sort of friendly chit-chat expected in those kinds of moments, but May was relieved when she said goodbye and hurried from the train. The rain wasn't quite as bad now, at least, though the world seemed far too dark for so early in the day. Though perhaps that was just her current mood?

She'd barely closed the complex door behind her when Mrs Delia was waving a page in her face, huffing and sputtering in rage. 'Have you seen this?' Her accent was worse when stressed, and it took a moment for May to translate. 

'No, Ma'am, I haven't.' She fought the urge to remind the woman that she'd just watched May get home, knew it was pointless to share her mood around. _Be like Peter. Be like Ben._ 'What's wrong?'

'He wants more money! Third time this year! Who can afford this, hmm? Does he really think rich people want to live here, with the thin walls and the constant repairs needed?'

May winced, hard. She could barely make ends meet already. She couldn't afford another rent increase. Hoping like hell it was just another one of Mrs Delia's moods, rather than an actual problem, she went through the motions of reassuring the woman that it would all be okay, scooped up her own mail (when was the last time she got something that wasn't a bill?) and joined Mrs Delia in the slow climb to their respective floors. 

The second the door was safely closed, she hunted through until she spotted the envelope. 

An extra hundred dollars a fortnight. Not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but enough that they couldn't afford to stay. 

Knowing that Peter was already with his newer, better family, May let herself collapse into the nearest chair and cry. 


	2. Chapter 2

The harsh blaring of her ringtone- Peter's ringtone- shook her from her mood more effectively than a bucket of iced water. She winced to see the time on her phone, even as she forced her emotions aside and answered the phone as calmly as possible. She'd thought she'd moped for a few minutes, not an hour. Peter's voice was frantic in his worry for her, checking in and mother henning in a way that would usually be adorable but right now was more irritating and guilt-making than cute. She fought the urge to hang up, focused on what Ben would say, and tried not to sigh or swear. 

'I'm sorry, baby, I got held up at work, and then my umbrella broke. I headed home to get changed so I wouldn't catch a cold. But I'll be there soon.'

'You're at home?'

'Yup. But I'm two minutes from walking out the door, I swear!'

A scuffle, and then Pepper's warm voice was in her ear, kind and happy like she was having the best day ever. 'Hi, May, forgive me, I just overheard. Happy's near you now, he had to pick some stuff up for Tony. I'm going to get him to come get you, okay? There's no sense you catching a train when there's a car headed back here already. He'll text you when he's outside!'

'That's okay, I don't want to put him out...'

'Nonsense! I know he'd volunteer in a heartbeat. He's fond of you, you know.' She did know. And if she didn't have to work herself to death just to make ends meet, maybe she'd actually have time to let herself admit to feeling _fond_ of him, too. 

She fought the urge to sigh, knowing Pepper was far too perceptive to miss the gesture. 'As long as you're sure?'

'Of course! We'll see you soon, May!' The phone disconnected as Peter called a hasty 'larb you' in the background. May allowed herself three swears- the worst ones she knew, and she was inventive- and then hurried to grab a towel and dry herself off, grabbing the first vaguely nice outfit she could and reapplying her makeup, waiting on the message alert to chime and pointedly ignoring the damned letter haunting the kitchen table. 

Instead of a chime, there was a loud knock at the door. 

Though around everyone else, he failed to live up to the namesake, it was hard not to notice that he smiled broadly at her. She couldn't help but return the grin he offered in greeting, blushing slightly at the soft 'you look beautiful as always, May.'

'And you look handsome as ever, Happy. You're a master of suit-wearing.' Science would marvel at the amount of sarcasm he could fit into a single snort, but she could see the reddening of his neck and ears and took them as a win, regardless. 

'Are you ready to go?'

'Just let me grab my bag.' It was sweet to see him do a quick security check before they left, and she had the sneaking suspicion he'd follow them upstairs to perform one before leaving them to their evenings, despite Peter's abilities. He was a good man. That she couldn't even take time to give him the chance she so desperately wanted to take with him? Yet another reason the day could go straight to hell. 

It was hard to maintain a suitably dark mood around Happy; he was a fantastic conversationalist, and took actual interest in what she said and how she felt. But the problem with being friends with trained security experts was that Happy could see through the temporary happiness, and know something was wrong. For the first few minutes, he contented himself with shooting her worried looks whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She hoped, probably foolishly, that he'd leave it at that. 

'You seem sad, May. Everything okay?'

'I'm just tired.' The _of everything_ went unspoken, but there was something about his sympathetic look that made her think he heard it regardless. 

'You know I'm always here to help, right? All of us are.' He pulled the car over, double parked so he could give her his undivided attention. 'Friends are honest, and I'd like to think we're friends. So spill, May. What's happening?'

The words on the tip of her tongue were, 'I'm honestly just tired, Happy. I think I need a day off?' She hadn't intended to lay it all out, to just blurt out every shitty thing. But as he reached out to hold her hand, looking at her like there was nothing more important than her, the tears she'd tried to hide were back with a vengeance, the words racing before she could stop herself. The impossibility of house hunting while working ridiculous hours. Asshole patients, and wanting a day where she wasn't cleaning puke off of herself. Bosses that promised training and promotions that never eventuated, but still expected her to do more than she should for less than she deserved. The exhaustion, the guilt, the overwhelm. Even the guilt and frustration of having feelings for someone and no time to do anything about it. But mostly, she talked about Peter. About wanting to spend time with her son and having to choose between being in his life or keeping a roof over his head. About the realisation that he'd be off at college soon, and god willing it would be on some kind of a scholarship because she couldn't afford her rent let alone tuition, and they'd drift even further apart. About longing for a day- just one, she wasn't greedy- where she wasn't racing in to work, or stressing about money, or being so exhausted she sleeps through the only time she has to herself. Missing having people in her life to just hang out with, who weren't just there because they loved Peter, but because they loved her, too. By the end of her rant, Happy was awkwardly leaned over, hugging her tightly, and she was clinging to him desperately, face buried in his neck. 

'You know I'll help, right? I've got more free hours than you, I can go check out apartments. And I've helped my sister move enough that I'm pretty good with the packing and heavy lifting. It's not perfect, I know. But you're not alone in this. I've got your back.' The urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming, but she forced herself to stay huddled in the crook of his neck.

'I'm not a damsel, I'm just... overwhelmed.' He huffed out a laugh, and she untangled herself from his arms to move away and scowl at him for the sound. He held up his hands in mock surrender. 

'I'm well aware you're not a damsel. I laughed because it's not a word I'd ever use to describe you. It's like saying... okay, I can't think of anything else that wrong to compare it to, but the point stands. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I've lived with _literal_ superheroes. But even Iron Man needs help sometimes, and that's not a bad thing. If Tony's trying to do everything- and I know this from experience, because he's ridiculous- he's wasting time on the unimportant stuff and can't put the energy he needs into the stuff that actually matters. I don't doubt that you can do it all, I just don't think you need to, especially if it's making you miserable. So please, at least consider letting me help, okay?'

She smiled, though it was probably rather broken looking, all things considered. But Happy's responding smile felt like sitting beside a fire on a winter's evening. 

'I'll think about it.'

'Thank you.' His grin turned mischievous, and that metaphorical fire blazed far hotter. 'And don't for a second think we won't be talking about that feelings comment when things have calmed down. In case you were wondering, you're not... you're not alone in that.' As though he'd had enough emoting for the evening, he reached out to squeeze her hand one last time before letting go, and beginning to drive them to the Tower. 

In the lights of the city, she could almost miss the way he blushed. Almost. 


	3. Chapter 3

Happy was sweet. He was kind. The sort of kind that politely asked FRIDAY to take them to his office, rather than the penthouse, and to refrain from alerting Peter and the Starks to their arrival. May shot him a baffled look, and he shrugged. 'It's kinda obvious you've been crying. Pete's a great kid, but he'll fuss if he sees you like this. I figured you might want to take a moment to clean up.' 

Right. The mascara she'd hastily applied in hopes of looking at least a little put together. The one that wasn't actually waterproof because she had to go the cheaper option and generally she kept her breakdowns confined to her bedroom, anyway. Her gaze instinctively slipped to his shoulder, and the rather obvious smear of makeup her crying fit had left. 'Fuck, Happy I'm so sorry-'

'Don't be. I have other jackets, and I'd choose helping you over a jacket any day.' His smile turned wicked. 'You know I take Peter to get something to eat before we go to the Tower, right?' She nodded. 'There was this day we were sitting in Delmar's, and he decided his sandwich needed mustard- weird, the kid normally hates the stuff- and grabbed the bottle to add some. Only the spider-kid forgets his super strength, and instead of delicately picking it up, he strangles it. Got mustard all over me. Kid almost cried, he was that upset about the suit. Clearly, you've both got some kind of a fetish about suits. Anyway, I had to threaten to hug him and get mustard all over him just to get him to breathe and calm down.' The thought of Peter flailing and grimacing at the idea of having mustard on him brought a small smile to her face, and Happy's wicked smile fell to softness. As he continued, he led her into his office space, calmly shrugging off his jacket and moving to a hidden cupboard beside his desk, revealing four identical jackets, shirts, and pairs of pants hanging neatly. Wandering into the bathroom, he dumped the dirty jacket unceremoniously into a hamper before coming out and replacing it. 'I finally get him to the Tower, which was an effort, because he nearly caused accidents trying to wipe mustard off my suit and scaring the hell outta me in the process, and he's driving me crazy asking how much I think the cleaning bill will be and can he work it off. So I explain that Tony pays for my suit cleaning, because it's technically a uniform. Which isn't true. He pays because he likes more expensive suits than I could afford when I started, and I told him I couldn't afford the cleaning. Bam, not allowed to pay for my work clothes or their cleaning anymore. You know I had to fight him to be able to clean my own underwear rather than sending them off and getting them ironed?' He rolled his eyes, but it was clear it was a fond memory. 'Who even irons underwear?'

'So Pete drags me to the lab to demand Tony let him pay for the cleaning. But Tony takes one look at, and I quote, this _oompa-loompa monstrosity_ and can't stop laughing, because I am covered- head to chest- in mustard. There's chunks of the stuff in my hair, there's crusty dried bits on my face that Pete had tried to lick a napkin and wipe off until I threatened to taser him. It's disgusting, it feels even worse, and Tony's in hysterics. He falls off his seat, he's laughing so hard. And Pete's getting more and more panicked, so I tell him about the time Tony decided to test my reflexes by calling me into the lab at 3 in the morning and having the bots launch flour bombs at me while FRI set off the sprinklers. And the time Tony got bored and made a blueberry gun. And the time I got exploded trying to keep my idiot boss safe. And I keep telling him stories until Tony's pouting and Peter's laughing and realising that trashed suits are a part of the job- another reason Tony pays for them. I'd be bankrupt if I had to. Finally, Tony clues in- he'd been awake for three days at that point, so was basically useless- and tells him that he hadn't laughed that hard in days, and there was no way in hell he was making Peter pay for that privilege. Offered him $50 on the spot to finish the job with some motor oil, but the kid refused. Gonna be honest- if it cheered him up, I'd have let him do it.'

Her heart skipped a beat to see his obvious fondness and protectiveness for Peter. Most people laughed off Peter's quirks- it's why she adored Ned and MJ, the two were viciously protective when he fell into anxiety, and never made him feel foolish for his ability to save the world while never being able to stand up to a teenage bully. That he'd found himself another protector, someone who saw to the heart of him without judgement or pity, made her want to wrap her arms around Happy and thank him for an eternity. And maybe she couldn't actually hug him for an eternity, but she could hug him and say thank you for caring for her kid, so she did, savouring the feel of his arms instantly wrapping around her, his chin hooking over her shoulder like they'd spent a lifetime in each other's arms. 

Maybe not being alone didn't actually solve her problems, but it made her feel a little better, and it was a start, at least. 

At least, until she saw her face. She looked like she'd been hit in the face with a pie made of modern art. That Happy had managed to not laugh hysterically at the sight of her was testament to his strength of character, clearly, because _hot mess_ didn't even begin to cover it. And of course, she'd left her makeup in the bathroom, rather than throwing it into her bag _just in case._ Because it was just that kind of a day. Refusing to show him her face until it was at least a little presentable, May huffed a sigh before calling out, 'Since I'm trashing your stuff today, mind if I trash that face washer?' 

'Trash whatever you like. I guarantee I've done worse.' She laughed softly as she cleaned the makeup off her face, checking and double checking that she'd gotten it all before daring to leave the room. Happy had never seen her without makeup before- precious few people had, these days, as it felt like being in a warzone without armour and she hated it. But the warm smile he gave her, slightly dazed like he was looking at the most beautiful woman alive rather than just boring old May, made her feel a little less terrible about it all. 

'Ready?'

'As I'll ever be.'

He paused a moment, eyes darting down towards his feet as he thought, and then back to her. 'You're always welcome to come here first if you need a moment. I know Tony can be a bit much some days, and god knows sometimes I need to prepare myself to deal with him. You can always come hide in here, or leave stuff here if you want to. Whatever you want or need.' He shrugged, trying and failing to look like it was an unimportant kind of declaration, and she didn't bother fighting the urge to hug him. 

'My hero.'

'Whenever you want me to be.' The dark blush on his neck was something she'd never get tired of seeing. 

*

The elevator ride to the penthouse was quiet, the nice kind of quiet that May realised she'd been missing. But the second the doors opened, Peter was in her arms, talking a mile a minute, harried and worried and decimating that calm, comforting mood rather brutally. 'Sweetheart, I'm fine. It was just a really long day at work.' Happy was giving her a look, as though unsure of how to help, but she just hefted Peter up and carried him from the elevator, feeling him bend his knees and raise his feet so she could walk more easily. 'You know how some days, school seems like it's over in an hour, and some days it feels like the day lasts a whole week? Today was a whole week. Maybe even a month.'

'But you're okay, right?'

'I'm fine. I promise. Look, no injuries, no signs of illness. Just tired.' She could imagine Happy raising an eyebrow to see her lying to Peter. And she hated it. But she couldn't exactly say, _honey, we're about to move house because I can't afford the rent, so please start adapting to life with roaches and mould immediately._ Not here, standing in front of the richest couple in the world. She could handle a lot of things, but their pity wasn't something she was ready for. Knowing Tony, he'd step in and do something stupid like buy them a house or shuffle them into the Tower, and then she'd be feeling even worse about how much they'd done for the Parker's, and how much she'd never be able to pay them back. Hell, no. They'd talk at home, without an audience awkwardly hovering, Pepper looking worried in a way that meant she'd noticed something was wrong, and Happy trying and failing to distract Tony. Finally, though, Peter stopped trying to both hug her and check her over for injuries, and she dropped a kiss to his head before letting him go, smiling at Pepper and greeting the older woman warmly. In another life, they could have been friends. And maybe they were, at least a little, in this life, but only because they all had to get along for Peter. Still, Pepper hugged her like she was genuinely thrilled to see her, pointedly not asking about her day, offering her a drink and ushering her to a seat, and it felt nice to pretend, even if only for a moment, that there was life outside of work and caring for Peter. 

By the time dinner had arrived- Thai food, Peter's current favourite- Pepper had convinced Happy to stay. As Peter went into minute detail about his latest crime fighting adventures, she leaned against Happy absently, sipping on her wine and allowing herself a moment to pretend that this, right here, was her real life. Pepper smiling slightly as she looked over towards Happy, almost sisterly in her amusement (she opted not to look at what was amusing Pepper; she was far too comfortable to bother). Peter flailing and gesturing, mimicking a bag snatcher as melodramatically as possible. And Tony, coffee in hand, other arm wrapped around Pepper and smiling as though this moment was the absolute best life had to offer. 

She couldn't help but agree. 


	4. Chapter 4

It took two days longer than she'd expected.

May Parker wasn't an idiot. She knew damn well that sooner or later, Peter would need to talk it out with someone, and while he'd no doubt talk to Ned and MJ, he was always going to seek comfort and advice from Tony. She'd actually been quite proud of Peter for not running straight from their awkward conversation and back to Tony to discuss the fact that they could either pay rent to keep their apartment or keep him at Midtown. Not both. 

Peter was out allegedly stopping criminals, even though he always said Saturday mornings were slow for crime. He refused to admit it, but she knew he kept going out because it was when kids were more likely to see him, and he loved making the kids, especially the ones without money, smile. Saturdays had become the day when there'd be pictures all over social media of him playing basketball or playing cops and robbers with kids around the town. Every kid who asked for a selfie got one, and there had to be hundreds of videos online of him reminding each kid that they mattered, that they were capable of amazing things and he looked forward to seeing all of the wonder they brought into the world. After the Stark Expo attack, he'd ridden the high of being saved by Iron Man for months, firmly of the mind that if an actual superhero cared about his well being, it meant he was going to be okay, that it was a sign he'd go on and do incredible things. He wanted that for other kids, she knew. He'd even asked Tony for a PO box where kids could send him letters. He couldn't read them all, there were so many, but they were scanned by FRIDAY, with those asking for help always responded to immediately (with more than a few abusive parents finding themselves face to face with the entire Avengers line up at their most menacing and a bemused CPS officer bringing up the rear), and letters of gratitude being saved and given to him on bad days. Within a week, each Avenger had their own PO box, the mail delivered to the Tower. 

May had been about to head out, to jog for the train and conduct her weekly prayer for no delays, when the knock came. Having Tony Stark show up unannounced was getting to be a habit, even if she never quite got over the instinctive mortification that someone so used to wealth and perfection saw them living in what had to seem like squalor to him. Hell, some days it seemed like squalor to her, too. 

'Tony, hi. I'm about to head out, sorry...' She didn't bother to mention that Peter was out; if he was in the suit, Tony knew. Still, she couldn't afford to be late, even if she'd rather slam her head against the wall than brush off the world's richest man. But then again, FRIDAY knew her work schedule, so it wasn't like the dismissal would be that unexpected, surely?

'I know, I just... thought I'd drive you? There's delays on the rail today, figured I was in the area, I'd play knight in shining armour. It's kinda my thing, you know.' She knew him well enough now to see through the bluster and bravado and know he was bullshitting. She raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms and staring him down the way she stared down Peter whenever he swore his homework was, like, 98% finished, so he should be allowed to go out and save the city. 

'Peter told you, huh?' Pepper, bless her, had warned her about Tony's ability to deflate so spectacularly, cocky gaze shifting to perfectly tragic puppy dog eyes without him even knowing about it. It was the only thing that kept her from apologising as he seemed to sag inwards, smile dropping away to something far more nervous than Tony Stark should be capable of. 

'...He did.' 

'I don't need you to rescue me, Tony. Save the energy for those who actually need it.' He dragged a hand through his hair absently, and the automatic smoothing down of wayward locks was probably just as instinctual. She wondered sometimes how bad a childhood you needed before a hair out of place was an instinctive concern even when you couldn't quite control the nervous habit of messing it up in the first place. 

Grabbing her things, she locked up and began to move towards the stairs, Tony falling in step beside her as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He managed a whole eight stairs in silence before he rallied.

'I know you don't need rescuing. But the kid is stressed-'

'He'll survive.' He faltered, unused to her anger, before jogging to catch up with her. 'Part of being a parent is making sure your kid grows up to know that sometimes, life gives you lemons. Sometimes you can try with everything you have, and not get close to a happy ending. I could lie to him. I could accept whatever half assed plan you've made to keep him happy... but it's a bandaid on a gunshot wound and we both know it. Besides, then what? What's the next step? I can't lie to my kid, Tony. I won't. He's old enough to know the truth- he _deserves_ to know it. And you know what? It's not the end of the world! People move house all the damn time. People work hard, even when they're tired. It's _life_. The sooner he gets to accepting the unpleasant realities of life, the better off he'll be.'

They were almost at the front door, and he surged ahead, spinning around to block her path and holding up his hands as though to stop her. 'I know that. I'm sorry. Just... just lemme drive you to work. You'll be late otherwise. Call it my apology?'

She huffed out an irritated sigh, fought the urge to push him aside and take the damn train. Her pride demanded it of her, but she couldn't afford to be late. Not again. 'Fine.'

'Thank you.'

*

The car ride was as awkward as she'd expected. For the first three blocks, they were silent, and May found herself torn between gratitude that Tony had seemingly given up, doubt that it could ever be so easy with someone like him, wondering if her day could get worse, and the niggling panic that she'd jinxed herself by even wondering that. She'd pissed off Peter's honourary father, she'd scolded him like a wayward child, for heaven's sake! She searched her mind for something, anything, to say to ease the guilt and tension between them. Not an apology, because she didn't think it was required, but something to move them forward.

As though opening her mouth broke the stalemate between them, Tony launched into his sales pitch before she could speak, and the guilt fell away to frustration faster than she'd thought possible. 'It's just money- I'm lucky enough that the only true value is has for me is its ability to help those I care about. So really, you'd be doing me a favour by taking it. I can give you money. Or, like, pay for Pete's schooling. You already agreed to me paying his college tuition as part of his 'internship', this'd just be an extension of that. And we both know the kid's gonna be irritating the hell out of you about this, so you'd just be saving yourself some drama, too. What's not to like?'

'Tony, I get it. I do. But I'm not taking your money. I'll figure this out. I always do.'

'But you don't have to do it alone!' He sounded so, so sure. But who else was going to help her? Tony was there to help Peter, not her. He was protecting his kid, and she could respect that, honestly she could, but there was no way in Hell she was going along with his ridiculousness just to keep her honourary son happy. As Tony finally, thankfully, pulled up at the hospital's entrance, she turned to face him, offering the kindest smile she was capable of as she fought to bring her temper under control.

'Tony, please understand me when I say _no_. I don't want your money. I will figure this out, and I'll do so without accepting charity. I know you love Peter, I know you'd do anything to make him happy, but I'm not some pet project for you to throw money at to keep him happy. I'm in charge of my life, not Peter. And while I appreciate the sentiment, I don't need your goddamn pity money.' She hurried from the car with a half-hearted 'thanks for the ride, have a nice day', and escaping before he could think of a counterargument. He sped from the car park and was gone before she'd made it onto the second step. 

*

The walk into the hospital was unusually quiet. Though it was the entry point for the entire hospital, at times an utter nightmare to even walk through, there were no patients, no bustling staff or harried greetings called. There was always someone. There was always multiple someones.

Goosebumps rose on her arms, and every instinct screamed at her to run the hell away. But she couldn't, not yet. No one would care that the hospital was deadly silent, no cops would come running. She needed information. She forced herself to stop instead of turning and running, looking around warily for something, anything, to tell her what the hell was going on, her hand sliding into the pocket of her pants to grasp the emergency beacon Tony had set her up with. Maybe the cops wouldn't come. But Iron Man sure as hell would. 

A hit to the door window to her left, she turned to face it, seeing Ellen beckoning her, eyes blown wide in terror. She slammed her hand on the activation button even as someone grabbed her other hand and spun her around. A man. Unknown to her, not that that was a shocker in a public hospital. He was screaming, ranting and raging about... she wasn't quite sure. His words blurred together, running on and weaving together until she had no idea if he was even speaking English. He reeked of alcohol, staggered when he shoved her back against the door she'd just been looking at. It was a hard hit, her mind supplied helpfully, cataloguing the signs of minor disorientation and possible concussion before zeroing in painfully on the glint of metal in his hand. 

_Knife_. 

Yeah, she'd definitely jinxed herself. The stray, foolish thought jerked her back to awareness, at least. There was no way in hell this was going to happen, no way in hell was some drunk asshole taking someone else from Peter. Sure, she wasn't Peter, or Tony. She wasn't blessed with super strength or in command of a weaponised suit. But Happy had been teaching her some moves since the day he'd learned where she was working and the people she was dealing with. He'd taught her how to safely create opportunities to run the fuck away. The man staggered forwards, raised the knife comically high, high the way they do in movies when it's about looking good, not doing damage (later, she would wonder when she'd been around heroes so long that this was a thing she could identify and catalogue as proof of his inexperience in violent crimes). May threw herself through the opening he'd inadvertently created, spinning on the ball of her foot and launching her other leg up and into a kick that sent him staggering away. It'd buy her a few seconds, at least.

She ran like hell towards the entryway. 

Everything happened both incredibly fast, and painfully slowly. She shouted in surprise as something gripped her arm and dragged her backwards. The entry doors slammed open, and Peter - _Spider Man-_ was suddenly there, voice loud and terrifying in a way she'd never thought him capable of. She felt herself dragged back against the man's chest, felt the knife shift into place against her throat. The eyes of Peter's suit turned menacing, though she didn't doubt he was terrified. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his hands clenched into fists so tightly she wondered if she'd hear the bones creak.

She was going to die. 

She was going to die in front of her kid. 

No.

She was not going to die in front of Peter. Not like this. Not without a goddamn fight. 

Peter was talking, arguing, with the man, distracting him. The knife left her throat, waved towards Peter (she felt a moment of gratitude for Tony that he'd made the suit knife proof). May focused on taking advantage of the opportunity, slammed her arm in place against her throat as the knife began to shift back towards her, rearing forwards before slamming her head backwards into the man's nose. 

'MAY!' She ducked beneath the man's arms even as she heard the familiar repulsors of the Iron Man suit roaring towards them, watched Peter slam past her, his fist a blur of motion that saw her would-be killer slamming backwards and into the brick wall a dozen feet from where he'd been standing. She doubted he'd ever get up again, judging by the crack in the brickwork. And then Peter was there, fussing and flitting around her, cursing and panicking before Tony arrived and took control. 

'I'm fine, Spidey.' Fine enough that she remembered not to call him by his real name, even with a sore head. 

'You're bleeding, May!' Oh? She looked down, took in the deep gash on her outer arm with a shrug. 'I figured a cut up arm beats a cut up throat.' He shuddered, looked like he was about to drag off his mask, consequences be damned before Tony was there, already running diagnostics and barking orders to FRIDAY, one arm wrapped tightly around Peter to keep him from doing anything more to reveal his identity. 

'Underoos, you with me?' 

'I'm fine, help May.'

'Spidey, sweetheart, you almost took off your mask. You can't do that right now, okay?' He flinched as though startled by the idea, and though she hated it, she let Tony hug him when all she wanted to do was bundle him up herself. 

'Okay, Happy is on his way. You've got directions, kid, meet him, get changed, get back here, yeah? I'll take care of her, I promise you.' For a moment, Peter looked ready to argue, and she grabbed his arm desperately. 

'Darling, I don't want you outed because you're scared for me. I'm literally in a hospital. I'll be okay until you get back, so go so I can give you a hug and say thank you.' Shakily, he nodded, before sprinting from the hospital. 

'Tony, I think he killed that man.'

'Oh, he did. Don't worry, the footage from the cameras has been altered. Repulsor blast malfunction. It'll be investigated immediately, I of course feel terrible. Now, which room are the surgeons hiding in, Fri?'


	5. Chapter 5

Tony stood guard while her arm was stitched up, and the perks of being a billionaire superhero was that no one had the guts to ask him why the hell he was still there (or to argue much about the change in their official stories, though it would be weeks before she learned about that). She wasn't sure she wanted to know what bullshit he'd spun to justify Tony Stark hovering while a murder suit lingered threateningly in the corner. 

Thankfully, once the blood was cleared, it was a simple enough procedure, and she'd been able to talk them out of full anesthesia. She doubted Peter would have been able to wait until they'd finished and she was awake for his freak out to truly begin. They'd barely wrapped her arm when Peter and Happy surged into the room, Peter launching himself into her arms, sobbing brokenly and hugging her hard enough to bruise. She hugged him back just as hard, dropping kisses in his hair and savouring the feel of her son in her arms. 'I'm okay, Peter, I promise. See, look.' She held up her arm, glad he was focused on her arm and missed her wince of discomfort. Judging by Happy's unimpressed huff, he'd noticed. 

Tony clapped his hands, grinning. 'Now, Peter, I've explained to the lovely staff here that, grateful as we are for their medical prowess, grateful enough, in fact that there's a gigantic novelty cheque presentation in their future, that I'm paying May's bills, and we'll be taking you and May to the Tower for recovery.' He shot May a smirk. 'I took too long to get back here, so you can call this me paying an idiocy fee, yeah? Besides, we've got medical staff at the Tower 24/7, so if there are any problems, you'll be less than a minute away from help- means you can't object and these two can't panic!' She offered him an exhausted smile in return, the expression warming to feel Happy move beside her to subtly keep her and Peter upright. Tony's grin widened at the sight. Ellen, who'd refused to let another nurse support her care, who'd even pushed past Iron Man to begin helping, was looking between May, Peter and Happy, confusion shifting towards something close to happiness. As Tony disentangled Peter, wrapping him up in a hug, Happy helped her to her feet, backing off only when Ellen moved to hug her gently. 

The woman's mouth shifted towards her ear. 'I'm happy for you, your boyfriend seems nice. And... for whatever it's worth, Peter's secret is safe with me, I swear. Tell him... tell him thank you for saving my baby sister last month.' Too shocked to reply, May just nodded, hugging Ellen one more time before letting Happy walk her from the hospital, arm wrapped around her protectively and body tensed to keep her safe if needed. It felt odd to see Tony hugging Peter, and to anyone watching it would probably look like he was comforting the kid as he led the group to the car. But she knew better. They were both tensed and ready for action, just like Happy, the clomping of the Iron Man suit behind them providing a final layer of security. She was safe. 

It was Tony who drove them back, with May settled in the backseat between her two favourite people in the world, Peter's head on her good shoulder and Happy tenderly holding her hand. She was asleep before they'd made it back to the Tower, her face burrowed against Happy's neck. 

*

When she woke, it was in a luxuriously soft bed, Peter curled protectively against her, his breaths soft and even. In the corner, guarding the door, sat Happy. He offered her a tired smile before moving to sit beside the bed, smiling sadly. 

'You scared the crap outta me today.'

'Scared the crap outta myself, too.' He nodded, leaning awkwardly to reach out and take her hand.

'Well your safe here, at least. When you're up to it, we'll take you home for anything you need, but if there's anything you need today, Pepper's said she'll go with Tony, or they'll buy you any clothes or whatever you need if you'd rather not have them going through your stuff.' He shrugged. 'She said Peter'd probably rather not have to pack your underwear.' The slight blush as he said it warmed her heart. 

'Tell her thanks for me.'

'Pretty sure she'll be in soon enough. She and Tony have been coming in and checking on you regularly. You scared the crap outta everyone today. Pretty sure there's a dozen Iron Man suits in sentry mode stalking the penthouse right now.' It felt good to laugh, even if she felt slightly guilty to feel Peter snap to attention beside her. 

'Hey, yrwake...' he yawned, and she dropped a kiss to his forehead, snuggling into him with a smile. 

'I am, baby. Fri, what time is it?'

'2am, May. And may I say that I'm glad you're alright. Karen also asks me to pass along her happiness that you are okay.'

'Thank you Fri, and please thank Karen for me- especially for looking after Peter today. I really appreciate it.'

'Of course.' The AI fell silent, and she offered Peter a smile. 

'It's bedtime, Peter. I'm going to have a shower first, and you could do with one too, so how about you head into your room. Friday will let you know if I need anything, but you need your sleep.'

'But who'll protect you?' He looked so broken at the thought that she relented almost immediately. 

'Okay. You can stay tonight. Just tonight, though. I don't need you keeping watch for the rest of my life, darling.' He nodded, though she expected arguments in the not too distant future. 'But I need a shower before I get back into bed, and so do you.'

'Actually...' Happy's voice was wary, as though unsure how she'd take whatever was coming. She steeled herself. 'This isn't where you'll be sleeping tonight. This is the pre bedroom bedroom, because Pepper figured you wouldn't want to sleep in those sheets after a shower. You were kinda bloody when we brought you up. The room across the hall will be yours while you're here. So how about this, Pete: you're exhausted, so you go shower and settle in. I'll wait outside the bathroom door while May showers, so you don't have to worry that anything will happen. I promise, if she needs help, I'll help her, okay?' Though she'd spent a decent amount of time with Happy and Peter, she'd never seen Peter throw himself into the older man's arms, hugging him tightly. She'd certainly never expected to see Happy hug him back, to whisper something in Peter's ear that had the kid beaming gratefully. With a final hug to them both, Peter staggered towards her new bedroom. 

Once he was gone, she offered Happy a tired smile. 'I appreciate it, but I'll be fine.'

'We've gotta wrap your arm before you shower. You're amazing, don't get me wrong, but pretty sure you'll need the help.' She sighed, and accepted, rather gracelessly if she were being honest, that she'd need help for a few days. 

'Oh, fuck.' He shot her a confused look, and she blushed. 'I... uh... I'm gonna need help with my shirt and bra too, please.' Oh, she hated this, even if she'd normally enjoy Happy's blush and the thought of him undressing her. He was a perfect gentleman, though, wrapping her arm tenderly to keep the bandages dry, helping her out of her shirt and undoing her bra without looking before pointing out the nightdress Pepper had found for her. She lingered in the shower far longer than polite, let the hot water do most of the work of getting rid of the dried blood that had seeped through her clothes. Rinsing her hair, and worried that it'd need a wash soon, she did the best she could do with one hand, before calling it good enough and turning off the water. 

It was hard to dry her hair, but she managed it well enough to put her new clothes on. Pepper had honestly thought of everything- the nightdress and underwear were simple but beautiful, chosen for comfort rather than sexiness, the fabric soft and warm against her skin. She'd thrown her clothes in the bin, everything had been bloodied enough that there was no point trying to salvage them anyway. Taking a moment to steel her courage, she scrunched her eyes shut, reminded herself that there were scarier things in the world than facing your crush without a bra on, and opened the bathroom door before she could talk herself out of it. 

He didn't fuss, ever, which was a godsend. Instead, he told her to sit on the chair he'd vacated, grabbed her towel, and dried her hair delicately for her. 

'You didn't have to stand guard, you know. Peter was there...'

She could feel him pause, before shrugging and going back to her hair. 'Peter was exhausted, and refusing to sleep, just in case something happened. So I told him I'd take the first shift, stand guard while he rested because Spidey needs to be at full strength for protection duties. I figured waking up to my ugly mug was better than waking up to Pete stressed, overtired and overprotective.'

'Hey, definitely not complaining at the chance to wake up seeing you...' Another pause, as though he'd forgotten he was holding a towel to her hair, and May wondered if she'd pushed too far.

'Then you're gonna love the next few days. Looks like either I'll be standing guard, or Pete will, and I'll be fighting for the kid to get some sleep.'

Happy Hogan, it had to be said, was remarkably easy to fall in love with. 


	6. Chapter 6

Peter was struggling to stay awake as he waited, sitting on the bed, head lolling towards his chest before he jerked back to near-wakefulness. May didn't bother complaining as Happy settled her into bed, if only because he was fussing over Peter just as much. The sight of him running a hand absently through Peter's hair, explaining one last time that he'd stay in the room, but there were suits deployed outside the doors, and FRIDAY was monitoring the airspace around the tower for threats, just in case and would alert them to any comings and goings, left her heart skipping beats. He was clearly exhausted, but there wasn't a hint of irritation as he helped Peter work through his anxieties enough to fall asleep, though he offered her a half-heartedly triumphant smile when exhaustion finally pulled the boy back under. 

'Anything I can do for you, May?'

'Stay?'

'I'll be by the door, standing guard.' She shook her head.

'I meant stay here.' He paused a moment, studying her the way Ben used to when he was seeing something in her expression she didn't even know was there. 

'I think Peter'll freak out if I'm in bed with you when he wakes up, and I don't wanna do that to him... yet. But how about I bring the chair over here. That way I'll be close by without startling the poor kid.' She nodded, watching as he moved the chair as close to the bed as possible, taking her hand and settling into place. Normally, she'd enjoy the view, perhaps try and have at least a bit of a conversation. Instead, safely curled between her son and her crush, she fell almost immediately asleep.

*

Happy Hogan snored. Not loudly, just a little, quiet drones that left her grinning stupidly into her pillow. She'd woken a few times, mostly because Peter was having nightmares, calling her name and panicking, though Happy had dealt with talking him down for the most part. At her side, Peter was finally, deeply asleep, turned away and hugging a pillow tight enough she thought the seams would tear. Sparing her boys a final, fond look, she crawled from the bed gingerly, and headed to the bathroom. There wasn't much she could do to neaten herself up, just brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair, but the urge for coffee was overwhelming. She'd survive being seen by Tony and Pepper looking like more of a mess than usual. They'd understand, and she couldn't quite bring herself to care.

But first... 'Friday?' she whispered, hearing the AI's soft response. 'If Happy or Peter wake up, can you inform them that I'm fine, just wide awake and getting some coffee?'

'Of course, May.'

'Thank you.' She'd never get used to having an AI around to take on the little tasks for her, but at times like this, she appreciated Friday's presence throughout the tower. She didn't doubt that Peter would panic if she wasn't there when he woke, but the idea of staying in bed for however long he slept? Really not appealing. 

Thankfully, it was only Pepper sitting at the kitchen table, a mug in her hand as she idly scrolled on her phone. As soon as she saw May, though, Pepper was on her feet, bounding forward and hugging her tightly. 'I'm so glad you're okay, May.' Awkwardly, she hugged Pepper back, more than a little baffled at seeing the usually unflappable Pepper Potts looking ready to cry. It seemed to take an age before Pepper let her go, stepping away and offering her a shaky grin. 'I get enough of the risking your life bullshit from Tony, I refuse to let my best friend get into the same habit!' She spun to make May a coffee, thankfully missing the moment May's jaw hit the floor.

Best friend?

Had she hit her head yesterday? Surely, this had to be a concussion. It made sense that _she_ felt like Pepper was the closest thing to a friend she'd had in years- after all, her social life was non existent. But Pepper? Pepper travelled the world. She was rich, famous, and absolutely beautiful. The idea that Pepper might just be as lonely as she was seemed utterly impossible.

'Are the boys asleep?'

'Thankfully! Peter didn't sleep well, not that it's surprising, all things considered. I didn't have the heart to wake either of them.' Pepper slid a mug of coffee towards her, smiling. 

'I hope you don't mind,' and wasn't that always an ominous start to a sentence? 'But Tony and I have taken the day off. PR's handling the 'repulsor malfunction' and explaining why Iron Man was responding to a hospital siege, so there's no need to worry about that. We're going to have to acknowledge Peter as Tony's intern, given there's footage of Tony driving you to work, and we wanted to quash rumours of an affair as quickly as possible, but since Peter's a minor, it actually works to our favour. He's protected in ways he wouldn't be if he were older, and the press conference we'll be doing tonight will be clearly stating that invading his privacy will be treated as an attack on a child, and an invasion of your privacy is an invasion of his and will be dealt with just as aggressively. It's not ideal, but it's the best way to make sure you're not thrust too far into the limelight.' Pepper shook herself, smiling. 'But I digress. I figured Peter would be hovering a lot today, which is incredibly sweet, but can get a little... overwhelming, so I thought you might appreciate some distractions thrown in the mix? Doctor Cho will be up soon to check you over, and after that I thought we could organise clothes for you this morning now the boys have worn themselves out with their worrying? After that, I thought we could have a movie marathon this afternoon once everyone's awake?' She shrugged, looking awkward. 'I thought that way, the boys can all see you're okay, and you're resting while doing something other than lying in a strange bed staring at the ceiling. You can just pretend to watch the movies and ignore them all if they get to fussing, and hopefully, Peter will start to relax a little?'

It was sweet, and clearly, Pepper knew the men in her life well enough to anticipate their more anxious tendencies. May grinned. 'If all else fails with Peter, I was thinking of sending him out to spend time with Ned and MJ.'

'Oh! They could come here? We could invite them in for the movies.' May couldn't help but laugh.

'You might want to check with Tony first, I'm pretty sure he's trying to keep you and MJ from meeting. Last I heard, he thought you two together could conquer the world in half an hour- which includes time for a coffee break. He's right, of course- she reminds me a lot of you in all the best ways. I think you two would get on wonderfully.' Pepper's gaze sharpened in curiosity. 'Even Tony's a little afraid of her. He calls her 'scary MJ- just not when she can hear it. She knows, though. She's got a habit of knowing things she shouldn't. I think she's pretty proud to have two super heroes terrified of her wrath, truth be told.' 

'Oh, we definitely need to invite them today! Besides, I want to meet Ned soon, anyway. From what Tony's said, he's amazing with tech, and I'd like to bring him on as an intern, too. I figure, he's Peter's 'guy in the chair', so I want to make sure he's taken care of too. We can't just hand him tech for no reason without drawing attention nobody wants him to have, but this way, he can access everything he needs, while under supervision.'

'$5 says by the end of today, you're finding a way to bring MJ in to SI, too.'

'I feel like that's a fool's bet...' It felt good to laugh, rather than rush around to get ready for work, and to sit and talk with someone who already knew all of her closely guarded secrets. She loved her work colleagues, of course- you couldn't do that kind of work without growing fond of those around you. But she'd never been able to be truly open. Not without putting Peter's secret identity at risk. It wasn't like you could share stories about your kid's after school activities when they involved swinging through the city stopping crime. The idea that she had someone else to help her navigate Peter's care left her grinning into her coffee, feeling happier than she'd felt in far too long.

It didn't take long for Happy to stroll out of the bedroom, looking dishevelled. He spared Pepper a single look, eyes darting around the room to check for threats, before moving to hug May, and then Pepper, warmly. 'I'm making breakfast. Who wants bacon?' Pepper eyed him for a moment, the sisterly smile firmly in place before her gaze shifted towards May.

Whatever she saw on May's face, her smile grew. 

This? This wasn't how May saw her day going. But for the first time in forever, she had nowhere to be besides surrounded by people who clearly cared about her far more than she'd realised. It wasn't the ideal way to get a day off, but damned if she wasn't going to enjoy the gift she'd been given. 


End file.
